This Guy Plays Notre Dame Football: #73 Andrew Kristofic, Offensive Line

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a roster full of players, and we want to talk about them all. One Foot Down’s player profile series will, once again, take a look at every single one of them, and hopefully we all learn a little bit more about these guys, and Notre Dame’s chances for the upcoming 2021 season.

# 73 Andrew Kristofic, Offensive Line

Andrew Kristofic committed to the Irish on April 23, 2018 as a member of the 2018 recruiting class. He selected the Irish over offers from Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, and Wisconsin, among others. He held a 4-star rating per 247Sports Composite Rankings. Kristofic was ranked as the best overall player in the state of Pennsylvania, the 17^th best offensive tackle, and 183^rd best overall player in the nation in the class of 2019. He attended Pine-Richland High School, and his hometown is Gibsonia, Pennslyvania. He currently stands 6’5’’ and weighs 292 lbs.

During both the 2019 and 2020 season, Kristofic saw mop-up duty in 4 games. Due to retaining his redshirt season and the COVID season, Kristofic technically could have 4 years of eligibility remaining.

The Restaurant That Fits

Popeye’s

Popeye’s is one of the fastest-growing chains in America. Though it has been around for years, the restaurant has gained considerable popularity as of late. In a similar fashion, Andrew Kristofic could be set for a meteoric rise within the Irish program. After biding his time for the past 2 seasons, Kristofic has the opportunity to grab a starting role along the offensive line heading into the 2021 season.

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

2021 Outlook

Kristofic’s role is difficult to peg for the upcoming season. He performed well enough during spring to emerge as the presumed front-runner for the starting right guard position. However, the addition of graduate transfer Cain Madden complicates things. Madden figures to slot along the interior line. Jarrett Patterson is expected to be ready for the beginning of fall practice, but no one is entirely sure where he will actually play. Rocco Spindler made a phenomenal first impression on the staff and ran with the first-team offense the majority of the time at left guard. At the tackle positions, Josh Lugg and Tosh Baker both appear to be intriguing options. What does this all mean for Kristofic? Your guess is as good as mine. The only safe bet appears to be that he will be relied upon for major snaps as a starter or top reserve somewhere along the offensive line.

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